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Joint press release

Glasgow 2014 Opening Ceremony first to feature a Commonwealth-wide fundraiser for children

LONDON, 22 July 2014 – International singing superstar Nicole Scherzinger and cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy are two of the star-studded names who will appear in a global fundraising first at the Glasgow 2014 Opening Ceremony on 23 July to help UNICEF save and change the lives of millions of children across the Commonwealth.

Glasgow 2014, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and UNICEF have forged a ground-breaking partnership, with the ambition of improving the lives of children in every country in the Commonwealth through raising money for the Children of the Commonwealth Fund, in the run-up to and during the Games.

Spectators, athletes and an expected one billion viewers from across the Commonwealth will all have the chance to play their part in the ceremony and be invited to Put Children First by making a donation via a text number or url which will create a powerful Games legacy for children.

Sir Chris unveiled the first glimpse of some of the legendary personalities involved in making the Opening Ceremony a unique and momentous opportunity for children in a short film which is live at https://www.unicef.org.uk/glasgowpreview.

It shows Nicole and Chris, along with cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, footballing supremo Sir Alex Ferguson and Line of Duty actress Keeley Hawes, as never seen before, exploring different regions of the Commonwealth over the past three months to witness UNICEF’s life-changing work.

The 90 second trailer film, introduced by Chris Hoy, gives a taster of Glasgow 2014 and UNICEF’s joint ambition to make these Commonwealth Games a unique opportunity to change the lives of children across the Commonwealth.

Exclusive footage which captures the stars and the children they met across the Commonwealth will feature in the Opening Ceremony, culminating in this unique and unifying fundraising moment.

Speaking about her trip to Guyana in Latin America, singer Nicole said:

"It was wonderful to see how UNICEF is transforming children’s lives. I had the blessing of meeting children with disabilities who for most of their lives had been stuck at home or in schools without any accessible or welcoming outdoor space. But now, these children have somewhere safe to play and I could see they had hope and happiness in their lives. And that means everything.

“The Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony is going to be so exciting. Come on everyone, put 23rd July in your diaries, and tune in to help Keeley, Sachin, Sir Chris, Sir Alex, me, and many, many more, make the Commonwealth Games a life-changing moment for children. Together, wherever we are in the world, we can make sure children come first.”

Speaking about his trip to Malawi, Sir Chris Hoy said:

“Meeting children whose lives have been so hugely improved by UNICEF was an incredible experience that will stay with me forever.

“In some parts of Malawi children are going hungry, but at school they are provided with a nutritious meal. Shockingly, for many of them it’s the only meal they will get all day.

“And things we take for granted in the UK, like basic medicine, are not always available in Malawi. I was especially inspired by an incredible young health worker I met called Daniel, who delivers lifesaving medicines to children and their families in some of Malawi’s most rural and remote villages – often located in forests and along unpaved roads which he travels by a personal favourite of mine, the humble bicycle.”

He added: “The Opening Ceremony will be a spectacular moment for Glasgow, Scotland and the Commonwealth as we attempt something that has never been done before; I’m so proud to be a part of that, and I hope everyone will join us by watching on 23 July.”

Speaking about his involvement with UNICEF, Sachin Tendulkar said:

“I am proud to be part of the Glasgow 2014 Opening Ceremony in support of UNICEF’s global appeal for children. I’ve witnessed how UNICEF makes such a difference to children’s lives, and I hope that everyone will tune in to the Opening Ceremony to be part of a Commonwealth-wide moment that has never been done before.”

All money raised by UNICEF and Glasgow 2014 through the Opening Ceremony will go to UNICEF’s Children of the Commonwealth Fund and will help protect children from poverty, disease and exploitation, provide life-saving food and vaccines, and give millions of children the chance to take part in sport – many for the first time.

David Bull, UNICEF UK Executive Director, said:

“UNICEF’s field staff work tirelessly around the globe to deliver a better future for all children. They will not stop until they reach every last child, but they need our help. UNICEF relies entirely on voluntary donations to do its work, and so this opportunity to reach the one billion viewers of the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony is an unprecedented chance to make sure that children are the real winners this summer.”

“This is about the Commonwealth Games bringing the Nations and Territories of the Commonwealth together through sport and I am delighted that for the first time our Opening Ceremony itself will create an opportunity to make a difference to the lives of children across the Commonwealth.”

Glasgow 2014, Chief Executive, David Grevemberg, said:

“Young people throughout the Commonwealth are at the heart of the ambitions of the Games. This is a ground-breaking and profoundly important opportunity for the people of the Commonwealth to come together to put their children first and improve lives. Glasgow 2014 has had so many firsts in terms of Games and again we are making history, we are changing the conversation. We are taking an Opening Ceremony and elevating it into something which will not just be experienced by people but will leave a lasting legacy for the young people of Scotland and across the Commonwealth.”

The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony will be on BBC 1 on July 23 at 21:00 (BST).

Photos of each of the other Ambassadors on their field trip are available. Interviews are also available with other key spokespeople. Please contact Kirsten Ferguson at kirstenf@unicef.org.uk or +44 7979 159 221.

The 40 second trailer film (without introduction by Chris Hoy) giving the first glimpses of some of the children and personalities involved in making this Opening Ceremony so unique is live at http://ow.ly/ydDEB

1. Glasgow 2014, Commonwealth Games Federation and UNICEF have partnered to create the Put Children First Appeal. All donations to the Appeal will support UNICEF’s Children of the Commonwealth Fund, which aims to reach children in every Commonwealth country by the time of the next Commonwealth Games in 2018.

2. The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving 71 teams of athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years. Glasgow 2014 will be the 20th Commonwealth Games and will be held from 23 July to 3 August. It will feature 17 sports in 11 days of competition with 261 medal events on show. The Games will play host to 4500 athletes and sell 1,000,000 tickets with the event aided by an army of 15,000 volunteers. Glasgow 2014 Ltd is the official name for the Organising Committee tasked with delivering the Games in partnership with the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council and Commonwealth Games Scotland.

4. UNICEF is the world’s leading organisation for children, working in over 190 countries to help every child realise their full potential, prioritising the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. We work with partners to transform the lives of children everywhere, for example in the areas of health care, water nutrition, education and protection for children. See www.unicef.org for more information.

5. UNICEF UK raises funds for UNICEF’s emergency and development work and advocates for the rights of every child as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. We are a UK registered charity, supported entirely by voluntary donations. We do not receive any money from the UN. For more information, please visit unicef.org.uk. Although the vast majority of UNICEF’s work takes place in developing countries there are three areas of work which the organisation carries out across the UK. These three initiatives involve education, health and development, and local government, and are delivered through three programmes: Rights Respecting Schools, the Baby Friendly Initiative and Child Rights Partners respectively.